As You Are Going...
You've Got the Power!
set up somewhere new, go outside of our way to reach different people. The correct translation is so freeing: the verse should actually start with the words “as you are going.” Now doesn’t that change things a bit for us?
Jesus knew that for some of us, it just wouldn’t be an option to go far and wide to reach those that need Him. God has a plan for your life, and He has written it Himself. So obviously, He knows that some people aren’t meant to be in foreign missions. It’s not in the plan. And He doesn’t want you to try to be that person if that is not you. That would mean you are struggling to be something that you aren’t supposed to be. God has a place for each and every one of us. Each person is fearfully and wonderfully made to be a diverse edition to His family. Your place may not be the foreign mission field, or any type of formal “ministry” at all, but God has still given you His mission, too.
“As you are going” means that as you go about your daily life - class, home, social media, practice, work, shopping - you are on the mission that Jesus has given you. Sharing the love of God is not restricted to a certain time frame in your life. It should be your life. And you don’t have to go anywhere special for it to be your life.
Acts 1:8 describes a meal the disciples were having with Jesus right before He ascended to Heaven. It says, “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth."
You may doubt that you could make a difference. You may doubt that you could really show God’s love to anyone. You may doubt that anyone would really listen or care. Here’s what God has to say about that:
"You believed in ME, and I gave YOU the HOLY SPIRIT. He has come upon you, and YOU now have POWER. Anything that I call YOU to do, YOU are completely ready and equipped to do it, because MY HOLY SPIRIT journeys with YOU."
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Here is what your response should be: Phillippians 4:13 - “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Whether you feel like it or not, if you believe in Jesus, you have the power of the Holy Spirit because He lives in you. He has given you this power so that you can show others exactly who He is.